Yahoo Groups

Separation of Myth and State

Ron Clark painted a mural of Prometheus bringing fire to humans at Coal Ridge High School (Glenwood Springs, CO)...but there were complaints. No calls for changing the school's team name from the Titans to something less pagan, however. Here's an excerpt from the Post Independent article on the controversy, which also includes a picture of the (now covered) mural:

Vague ideasClark admitted taking artistic
liberties on the Prometheus painting. He claimed to have made several
attempts to communicate with the faculty and staff what he had in mind
for the mural with no response. Adding that no one from the school had
a solid idea of what they wanted, just vague ideas that included a
flame and the beliefs of the school.

The original idea,
according to Moeller, was for Clark do three pieces for the school. One
in the gymnasium of a lightning bolt incorporating the word Titans into
it; a flame with the schools’ motto in a common area; and a mural in
the common area. Clark did all three pieces in a two-week period in
early July. However, Clark stated that he never had direct contact from
anyone at the school and that Information regarding the mural was
transferred through Clark’s sister, Carrie Lyons, who communicated with
Moeller.

“I talked to the principal (Humble) over the phone
while she was on vacation about the mural,” Clark said. “She told me
just to paint it and that she would see it when she got back.”

According to Humble, the painting was already done by the time she talked to Clark about it.

A religious debateA
photo of the Clark working on the project appeared in the July 10 issue
of the Post Independent sparking a number of letters to the editor.

School
officials declared that the decision to cover the painting had nothing
to do with a letter to the editor written by Keith Wood — Pastor of the
Glenwood Springs Apostolic Church — published in the Aug. 1 edition of
the paper. In the letter, Wood compared the painting to the crucifixion
of Jesus. By that time, Humble had already made the decision to cover
it up.

“When I saw the picture (of the mural) in the paper I
was just amazed,” Wood said. “I felt that it was my responsibility to
stand up for what I believed in. The devil works his way into all sorts
of places. People who know their god know that they need to be his
voice in situations like this.”

“Where was this debate when
the Glenwood Springs High School decided to call themselves the
Demons?” asked Clark. “You can’t just make up a definition of what you
want the Titans to be: like a lightning bolt. It just doesn’t work like
that. If we are going to allow the students to choose a mascot and then
tell them what to believe about the mascot, it just doesn’t make sense.”

Wood said that he thought Titans is a more suitable mascot name than the Demons of Glenwood Springs High School.

Clark
expressed concern of allowing a school to represent themselves as the
Titans but not being able to have one painted on the wall. Adding that
covering up the painting without any debate was a hasty decision.